AZRAQ REFUGEE CAMP, Jordan — Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson has visited a camp for Syrian refugees and suggested they should be absorbed by neighboring Middle Eastern countries.
More than 4 million Syrians have fled war since 2011. Most were given temporary shelter in neighboring countries, but overwhelmed hosts nations balk at long-term integration.
President Barack Obama has said the U.S. will take in 10,000 refugees, a fraction of the hundreds of thousands who reached Europe this year. Some GOP candidates said they fear terrorists could sneak into the U.S. among them.
Carson last week likened blocking potential terrorists posing as refugees to handling "mad dogs."
Carson said in a statement after Saturday's visit to the Azraq camp in Jordan that Syrians could help enhance the economies of Arab states "that accept and integrate them."
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